Voltage regulation for tube amps

Advice needed please
I have a problem with one of my Consonance Cyber 800 mono bloc tube amps blowing the tubes, the distributor of the brand puts this down to fluctuations in the power voltage and has had instances of a problematic amp being sold, finding a new home on the other side of the country and having no problems.
I have a computer product called an Uninteruptable Power Supply

It offers Line interactive Design,Automatic Voltage Regulator,Provides Lightning Surge and overload protection, Short circuit protection and shutdown software and Automatic re start

Is this the sort of thing that might work or would it degrade the sound. I dont know why only one amp should be effected by voltage peaks

thanks

 

IMO you shoul send it back on the grounds that it isn't suitable for the purpose. If you can't use it from your mains supply and it keeps blowing your tubes it wasn't designed properly in the first place and they should fix it.
The UPS may work, a few of them regenerate power too which is a good thing, but you shouldn't have to use it in the first place. The power can't be spiking that hard else you would loose your light bulbs etc. quite regularly, sounds to me like the amp is at fault, especially as it is only one going wrong.

 

thanks Anex, good advice

 

I’m far from being a tube amp expert, I’m a real newbie, but I did do a lot of reading before buying my current Prima Luna integrated. Two key things I learnt: (a) many Chinese tube amps run their tubes pretty much at tolerance to squeeze out the absolute maximum output power, (b) many grey imports are built for 220 volt mains, not the 230-240v actually found in the UK. These two factors together very often result in blown tubes. What does the mains inlet on the back of your amp actually say? If it is 220v I’d certainly argue it wasn’t fit for purpose.

Tony.

 

Hi Joe ,i have just brought the same power amps,Cyber 800's and im having no problems at all .I'm feeding them from a ben duncan isolation transformer to clean up the mains.I realy think you have a problem with the amps themselves as they use a realy stable power supply designed forthe uk mains which should certainly give no trouble .They are superb sounding amps in every way i'm very pleased.....James

 

yes if they are 220v - feed them 220v - thats not such a big and complicated thing, you just need to buy a 220v doohicky.

or send them back.

 

afaik Consonance are a cut above the usual ebay amps etc. and build stuff properly, I'm pretty sure they're designed for 230V

 

Thanks for the info,
the label on the back says 240 volt, I am beginning to think that I have struck a dud batch of tubes and that its not the amp
being new to valves white flashes and smoke pouring out made me think the worst
yes James they do sound superb, are you running the supplied Harmonix valves and is there something to upgrade to when its time to renew them all

 

Re

Hi joe ,yes im still using the electro hamonix 6ca7's,i read someware that you can also substitute kt88's and also 6550's too because of the special auto bias circuit.I'm going to replace the small signal and driver valves first though as its the best upgrade to do first....James